Contract Manufacturing Manager

The Role

You will own the end-to-end relationship with Phasic Energy's contract manufacturing partner, shepherding hardware from build authorization through delivery across two distinct manufacturing approaches, additive and subtractive, and the full process plans that take each from raw production to shippable hardware. These are not conventional stamped or brazed parts. Phasic's heat exchangers push the boundaries of what the process can reliably produce at scale.

Phasic is transitioning from prototype builds to recurring production for data center OEMs, and the manufacturing relationship that gets us there is anything but simple. You will bridge a 12-to-15-hour time zone gap, navigate cultural and language differences, manage a build process governed by a rigorous multi-stage playbook, and hold both the contractor and our engineering team to quality standards that rival aerospace. Just as importantly, you will translate what we learn in this contract arrangement: process capability, failure modes, quality gates, documentation rigor, and cost drivers into requirements that inform the design of Phasic's future domestic factory. You are not placing purchase orders and waiting for boxes to arrive. You are embedded in the technical details of every build, working in tight partnership with engineering: reviewing orientation studies, interrogating test coupon data, aligning on machining datums/tolerances, and making judgment calls when the contractor flags a deviation at 2 AM your time.

Reporting to the VP of Operations, you will coordinate across engineering, the contract manufacturer, third-party test labs, and logistics providers. In the first 6 to 12 months, success means establishing reliable production cadences, building quality gates that catch problems before they become scrap, and delivering a cost structure that holds as volume scales.

Contractor Management and Communication

• Own the daily operational relationship with our contract manufacturing partner(s) across both additive and subtractive builds: scheduling, milestone tracking, issue escalation, and capacity planning.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all contractor communications. You need to be effective in an asynchronous, cross-timezone environment, not fighting it.
• Conduct initial briefings for each new product: quality expectations, documentation requirements, timeline structure, and IP handling.
• Navigate the cultural dynamics that define how international manufacturing partners operate.
• Manage conflict without damaging the relationship. You need to know when to push, when to escalate through their hierarchy, and when to give ground on something that matters to them so you can hold firm on something that matters to you.
• Invest in the relationship itself. Build a relationship on trust and personal rapport, not contracts and SLAs.

Build Process Governance

• Assemble and manage Build Authorization Packages: the single source of truth the contractor needs before any build starts. Each package includes final CAD, material specs, post-processing sequences, and acceptance criteria, and must pass a formal internal review gate.
• Manage the full contractor engagement sequence for each new geometry in close collaboration with engineering: orientation studies, DfAM reviews, print parameter approval, and test coupon campaigns, plus downstream subtractive planning.
• Ensure all deliverables are self-contained offline files (PDFs, native CAD). Some manufacturers cannot access Google Drive, Notion, or SharePoint due to network restrictions.

Quality and Metrology

• Oversee validation campaigns that prove out the contractor's process before production, in close collaboration with engineering.
• Understand and enforce a strict quality control sequence: CT scanning, heat treatment, leak testing, dye penetrant inspection, and CMM.
• Track and resolve non-conformances. When measurements fall outside thresholds, understand the implications, escalate appropriately, and drive root-cause corrective action.
• Enforce process consistency across multi-unit orders.

Post-Processing Oversight

• Own post-processing oversight across both additive and subtractive builds, ensuring each program follows a defined, engineering-approved sequence with clear gates and signoffs.
• Track cleaning effectiveness to Phasic's standards since contamination degrades performance and can contaminate the customer's fluid system.
• Review and approve the documentation package that accompanies every shipped unit.

Logistics, 3PL, and Compliance

• Coordinate international logistics from factory floor through to final customer delivery: customs documentation, freight forwarding, and delivery scheduling.
• Own the 3PL relationship. Units arrive under the contractor's labeling. The 3PL partner receives, inspects, and repackages each unit under Phasic's branding before shipping to the end customer.
• Navigate tariff classification, Section 301 exposure, export control screening (EAR), and country-of-origin documentation.

Cost, Timeline, and Reporting

• Negotiate production costs with granular visibility into the cost stack: material, print time, post-processing, inspection, and overhead.
• Track and report production KPIs (yield, cycle time, on-time delivery, cost per unit, non-conformance rate) to leadership on a regular cadence.
• Coordinate with third-party test labs for first-article performance testing and safety certification for North American market access.

What You Bring: Required

• BS in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related field.
• 5+ years managing contract manufacturing relationships for physical hardware products. You have been the person getting parts out the door on time and on spec, not someone who reviewed reports about it.
• Direct experience working with international manufacturing partners across large time-zone gaps. You have built trust cross-culturally and adapted your communication and escalation style.
• Demonstrated ability to manage production quality in an outsourced environment: inspection protocols, NCRs, root-cause corrective actions, and the willingness to reject builds that did not meet spec.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing cost structures and effective negotiation on pricing, tooling, and terms with international suppliers.
• Strong project management discipline: rigorous detail tracking, proactive communication, and early escalation when timelines are at risk.
• Comfort in a startup where processes do not exist yet and you are expected to build them.

What You Bring: Nice to Have

• Experience overseeing manufacturing for both additive (L-PBF, DED, or binder jetting) and subtractive (precision CNC machining) programs.
• Familiarity with precision metrology: CMM, CT scanning, leak testing, dye penetrant inspection, and pressure testing.
• Working knowledge of import/export compliance, HTS classification, Section 301 tariffs, and Incoterms for China-sourced hardware.
• Mandarin proficiency.
• Time on the ground at Chinese manufacturing facilities.
• Experience scaling from low-volume prototyping to mid-volume serial production.
• Background in aerospace, defense, energy, or other industries with high-consequence quality requirements for metal components.
• Experience managing 3PL relationships, including receiving inspection and branded repackaging.

Why This Role is Different

This is not a "find a vendor and manage POs" job. You will help deliver cutting-edge heat exchangers that outperform current industry standards and you'll do it by owning the manufacturing relationship end-to-end, from technical readiness to shipment.

You'll work at the intersection of AI, additive manufacturing, and thermal engineering. Within a very small team, you'll have real autonomy, move quickly with high standards, and make decisions that directly shape how Phasic builds and scales.

Why Phasic

• Join as a single-digit hire at a seed-stage company and own real outcomes from day one.
• Get meaningful early-stage equity and the chance to build value over years, not quarters.
• Work on a hard, high-leverage problem at the intersection of physics, manufacturing, and AI infrastructure.
• Be part of a team that values craft, speed with rigor, and straightforward feedback.

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary range for this role is $175,000 - $225,000 USD, depending on experience and qualifications. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors including skills, experience, and location.

In addition to base salary, this role includes meaningful early-stage equity. As a seed-stage company, our benefits are built for where we are and designed to grow as we do. Today that includes healthcare coverage, paid time off, and a team that genuinely values flexibility and work-life balance.

Equal Opportunity

Phasic Energy is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team.

If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact us at careers@phasic.ai.